Man assaults two-year-old and her mother in tussle over parking space

A two-year-old Chinese girl was in critical condition yesterday after being thrown to the ground by a man in a row with her mother over parking, a hospital and state media said.

The man, identified only by his surname, Han (韓), wanted to park by a bus stop in Beijing, the Beijing Times said, citing a witness.

However, the woman pedestrian would not move out of his way as she was checking on her daughter at the time.

Han, in his 40s, emerged from his Hyundai Sonata and hit the woman before taking the toddler out of her pram, holding her up and throwing her “forcefully” to the ground, said the witness, a street stall owner surnamed Zhou (周).

“The baby made no noises after being dropped, not even a cry of pain,” the newspaper quoted Zhou as saying.

Another man came out of the car and also beat the mother before the pair drove away, it added.

The mother rushed the girl to a nearby medical facility and the report said she died while being transferred to Beijing Tiantan Hospital.

However, that hospital indicated that the toddler remained under treatment.

“She is still alive,” said a hospital official, declining to be named or to provide further details.

The Legal Daily said the girl remained in critical condition, adding that she had stopped breathing at one point and was being kept alive by a respirator.

Police found Han, who was released from prison this year after serving a sentence for theft, in a hot spring bathhouse on Wednesday and detained him, the report said.

He could be charged with serious assault if the girl survives, the Legal Daily cited lawyers as saying, making him eligible for a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

A death sentence could be handed down if she dies and he is charged with murder, according to other Chinese reports.